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Dr Scott Nimmo, Dog Veterinarian

Category: Dog Veterinary

Satisfied Customers: 19151

Experience: BVMS, MRCVS. { Glasgow UK }

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I recently adopted a rescue dog, 2-3 years old, and he is coughing (a honking cough) a

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Hi, I recently adopted a rescue dog, 2-3 years old, and he is coughing (a honking cough) and spitting up white foam. He is active and not lethargic. It is fairly hot here, do I need to worry about dehydration? Should I take him to see a vet tomorrow?

Hello and welcome, Just to let you know that I am locked on to your question and am working on it now.My name is***** and I am a small animal vet with many years experience and rest assured I will do my best to answer your question to your satisfaction today. You can expect a written reply sometime within the next fifteen minutes or so.We also have the option to talk things over by telephone or via an internet service such as Skype. Please get back to me if this is more convenient for you. { There is a small extra charge for phone calls }Regards,Dr Scott

Hello again and thanks for waiting. sorry to hear David is unwell, however I have worked out an answer for you below ... Firstly I would not be at all surprised if he has not contracted an infectious respiratory disease such as kennel cough. However where a dog is retching like that other diagnosis are certainly possible but from your description it does sound very like kennel cough.However as kennel cough would be a front runner I will tell you a little of what I know about it ...Kennel cough is a common contagious respiratory disease of canines. This disease is usually associated with recently having been in kennels or having been where dogs congregate, { Like the vet's surgery for example! } but dogs living on their own can sometimes catch it as well as it is an airborne disease. This is a disease which vets will see quite a lot, we often have to explain the symptoms to clients :1. Most owners whose dog has kennel cough think there might be something stuck in the throat due to the strange cough / retch that these dogs have - a bit like a seal honk!2. The dog may sneeze a little but the cough is the main symptom, some dogs are quite bright and alert but others can be lethargic during the course of this disease.3. The dog will cough and retch for a few minutes and in the end it will be productive, he will bring up some white sputum, sometimes owners take this for vomit. Once he has done this he will settle down for a bit. This however is a repeated cough / retch which just keep happening.4. It is normally not a serious disease but will run its course given one to two weeks without treatment, however antibiotics will speed up recovery and make your dog feel better very quickly. For this reason my advice would be to have your vet check your dog over at the next opportunity and of course this is a wise move as other diagnosis are possible. Unfortunately there is very little you can do to make him more comfortable on a home remedy basis.5. There are effective vaccines against some forms of this disease but because there are a number of other forms vaccinated dogs can still contract this disease.Here is a link for more information on this disease : LINK Secondly regarding the question of dehydration, I would not be too concerned as long a he is eating and drinking normally at present but as I said above it would always be a good idea to have your vet check David over. I hope I have covered your question fully enough but if you would like further clarification or to talk things over a bit more then I will be on-line for the next hour or so and I will be more than pleased to continue working with you. Regards, ***** be kind enough to rate my service to you after we have concluded our dialogue, such feedback helps me maintain the quality of my answers.